Note: The information contained in this study is compiled from numerous documented ecclesiastical, theological, academic, and media sources.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution?” (Romans 8:35)
Saint Takla’s Annual Feast – September 24 in the Eastern Churches The Eastern Church in all its families – Orthodox, Syriac, Coptic, Maronite, and Melkite – commemorates Saint Thecla on the twenty-fourth of September each year. This date is fixed in the Byzantine and Maronite Synaxaria, where she is recorded under her official title: “The Great Holy Martyr Thecla, First of the Women Martyrs and Equal-to-the-Apostles.” On this day, festive Divine Liturgies are celebrated and her famous Troparion is chanted: “O holy God-bearer Thecla, thou wast taught the Word by Paul, the God-inspired Apostle, and wast established in the faith, O glorious one. Wherefore we celebrate thee and venerate the divine and venerable memory.”
The Latin Catholic Church commemorates her on September 23rd, this one-day difference being due to the Western calendar. Her commemoration is found from the earliest centuries in the most ancient liturgical manuscripts, which testifies to the rapid spread of her veneration after her dormition.
Why September 24th? The date is linked to the memory of her repose and the beginning of the spiritual harvest season in Antioch and Asia Minor, where her early communities celebrated the anniversary of her miraculous deliverance from fire and wild beasts as a sign of faith’s triumph over paganism.
Her Birth and Upbringing
Her Birth Place
Saint Thecla was born in the city of Iconium in Asia Minor (present-day Konya, Turkey) to pagan parents belonging to a distinguished social class. She was a beautiful, intelligent, educated young woman of strong character. When she reached the age of eighteen, her family betrothed her to a young man named Thamyris.
But God had prepared another path for her. When the Holy Apostle Paul arrived in Iconium accompanied by Barnabas and began to preach Jesus Christ risen from the dead, Thecla sat listening to his sermons and teachings on salvation, chastity, and eternal life. Her eyes were opened to the light of truth, she was deeply moved by his preaching, and she believed in Christ with all her heart, deciding to consecrate her entire life to Him.
Her Rejection of Marriage and Consecration
She declared to her family that she would not marry, for she had vowed her virginity to Christ. Her mother and her betrothed were enraged, for her decision was considered a rebellion against prevailing customs and traditions. Her mother tried to persuade her, then resorted to beating, starvation, and threats, but Thecla remained firm as a rock. When all attempts failed, she was handed over to the governor of the city, who ordered her to be burned alive. But God intervened miraculously, sending heavy rain that extinguished the fire and saved her. “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother for My name’s sake shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29)
Her Apostolic Struggle
After her deliverance, she followed Paul and participated in spreading the Gospel. She then moved to Antioch where she endured new persecutions for her faith. There she was thrown to wild beasts, but the beasts did not harm her. The rulers, astonished by her steadfastness, asked her about the secret of this power that accompanied her. She answered with boldness: “I am a handmaiden of the Living God, a servant of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”
After she was released, she continued her evangelical preaching. Her Ascetic Life in Maaloula She withdrew to Seleucia of Syria and settled in the area of present-day Maaloula, Syria. There she lived as an anchoress in a humble cave, devoted to prayer, fasting, and contemplation. God granted her the gift of healing the sick, and people flocked to her from everywhere, and many were converted to Christ through her witness and holiness.
Her Miracles
Her deliverance from the fire.
Her deliverance from wild beasts.
Her deliverance from venomous serpents.
The healing of the sick through her prayers.
The conversion of pagans to faith through her preaching.
The splitting of the rock in Maaloula to protect her from her assailants – the landmark known to this day as the “Gorge of Maaloula.”
Her Dormition
She lived to an advanced age and reposed around the year 90 AD, after a life full of prayer, evangelism, and spiritual struggle. Church tradition confirms that her convent in Maaloula still holds her relics and attracts faithful from around the world.
Her Place in the Church
Saint Thecla is venerated in the Eastern Churches as the first among women martyrs and bears the title “Equal-to-the-Apostles” in recognition of her unique evangelical role in spreading the Gospel. Great Fathers of the Church praised her, among them Saint John Chrysostom who said: “I see her holding her virginity in one hand, and her martyrdom in the other.”
Saint Thecla in Lebanon
Saint Thecla enjoys special love among the Lebanese, and dozens of churches and monasteries bear her name in various Lebanese regions, including:
The Monastery of Mar Thecla for the Maronite Monks in Shahrour.
The Church of Mar Thecla in Bkasine.
Approximately 42 churches and shrines bearing her name in Mount Lebanon, the North, the South, and the Bekaa.
A Prayer Through Her Intercession for Lebanon O our Lord and God Jesus Christ, We lift up to You today our prayer through the intercession of Your Holy Martyr Thecla, Your faithful Bride and First of the Women Martyrs. Preserve Lebanon, the land of saints and martyrs, from all evil, strife, and division. Enlighten the hearts of those responsible to work for the common good, justice, freedom, sovereignty, and human dignity. Bless its people and its institutions, and protect its sons and daughters, both residents and those scattered throughout the world. Through the intercession of Saint Thecla, grant healing to our sick, comfort to our sorrowful, hope to our youth, and salvation to our homeland. To You be glory, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and at all times and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
